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Yuxiang/Story
Fondness Story I. Basement "Curiosity killed the cat." This is a well-known proverb from human society. And it was the last thing My Lady cooking attendant said to me before she died. I looked at the black book before me, I wanted to open it but I felt hesitant. The smell of musty dampness filled the dark and dirty basement, and the light of the oil lamp I brought became weak. I told myself that there was no time to hesitate, and it was not surprising that when the troops in hot pursuit forced the door and rushed in, the "truth" I had been long searching for had been laid bare. "Touch it, open it, but bear in mind that this is my duty as a historian." But my hands could not stop shaking. Those holes I found in the historical annals lying on the table vexed me. The familiar history was like a giant python twisting itself around my entire body and breathing right into my neck and ears. "Curiosity killed the cat." My Lady cooking attendant's warning echoed in my ears again. I still vaguely remembered what her eyes looked like when she knew that death was drawing near. It was just as if I had known all along that disobeying orders, listening to my curiosity and pursuing my desires by reading the historical annals had forced me to learn them by heart. I lit the pipe I had been carrying with me, took a deep breath, and blew the smoke out slowly, leisurely. The smell of tobacco began to mingle with the damp air. I felt my frayed nerves begin to relax. Once again, I reached out my hand and caressed the black history book. I opened the cover slowly, but just then, the back door burst open abruptly. I felt oppression sweep into the room. I quickly extinguished the pipe and hid behind the bookshelves. I heard the sound of unhurried footsteps pace around the room and come to a stop in front of the wooden chair where I had just been. Then the deep growl of a man's voice. "I know where you are." II. Mutineer This nation has neither a large population nor an advantageous geographical location, but it is extremely wealthy, so the people live in luxury and comfort. The outside world's skepticism was inevitable. No matter how many people were sent from other countries to come and investigate this nation, no one ever returned. I supposed that the "reason" for this was at that moment he had made his way into where I was hiding and found me behind the bookshelves. "Ah! Just as I thought, you were after the historical records." He was relaxing in the wooden chair that I had been sitting and asked me in a casual tone that was like chatting with a friend. Then he opened the book that I had been too scared to to open. "It appears you haven't opened it yet." He said this in a mocking tone. He closed the book after thumbing through a couple of pages. I watched his movements through the gaps in the bookshelf. He took out a pipe and lit it. He did not look in the direction I was in at all. I didn't dare do anything rash. I even had to breathe slowly and carefully, preparing for a sudden attack. But I heard some footsteps outside the door, and suddenly someone burst in. "Today I have finally caught the thief!" The leader who burst into was rather grim looking. I realized he was the one who had been chasing me after I snuck into the castle. "What? How could it be you?" The proud looking soldier looked shocked at the sight of him. The smoke in the room was getting heavier and heavier. Then an unimaginable scene unfolded right before my eyes. The smoke folding in the air suddenly began to wrap itself around the incoming soldiers. "Stop..stop!" The soldiers began to fall down one after another. The leaders face began turning red, as if someone was choking him. He pointed angrily at the man sitting in the chair and said sporadically. "You..are a traitor..the King will..never let you go!" After that he didn't speak, he just fell down with the other soldiers. This was a food soul whose psychic powers were far beyond mine. I hadn't enough time to shift my attention from this event when I heard a sound coming from right next to me. "Let's continue this, shall we?" III. The Destroyer “Curiosity killed the cat.” The proverb that Master Attendant had imparted to me at death’s door should have been converted into a plaque, and I should have worn that plaque around my neck at all times to remind me not to give in to my curiosity. Too late for that, now. I held the black history book, and stood right in the center of the country, watching the entire kingdom burn. Explosions, sobbing and cries for help echoed in my ears. “I want you to witness with your own eyes how I destroy this country”, that Food Soul had told me in that underground room. “And I want you to make a record of all of it, so that history will never forget.”, that Food Soul had given a chilling command without changing his expression, as if he was merely wondering what to have for breakfast tomorrow. After the Food Soul had left, I had quickly flipped through the black history book I now held in my hands. And now I was unsure whether the scene before me was more cruel than the deeds that had been recorded in the pages of the book. The tragedy of that night continued unabated until dawn. As the cleansing rays of the morning sun spilled onto this land, the wealthy and powerful nation was nothing more than a scattered and annihilated mess. The darkness lurking beneath the polished finery of the city had been exposed, and burnt into nothingness, along with the kingdom. I stared at the Food Soul resting in the rubble. He must have used up all his spiritual power by now, but the expression on his face was as calm and composed as when he had spoken with me in the underground room. After a battle like the one he had just fought, I knew he was probably so depleted of energy that he would never be able to wield that terrifying power to kill humans with mere spiritual pressure again. It was a pyrrhic victory. As the sun rose, its rays began to pass through me, and the shadow that my body cast on the ground slowly grew faint. I looked down at my increasingly transparent body, and smiled in relief at being released from this burden. Time’s up. IV. An Order When I was first summoned by Master Attendant, I was filled with an intense curiosity. How had this world, and all things in it, come to be? What kind of creature were human beings? For what purpose were Food Souls born? My curiosity grew into an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and I found that history was able to provide some answers to my questions. As a result, against my Master Attendant’s wishes, I allowed myself to drown in the history book of the various continents. Slowly, I began to realize that none of the histories of the different countries seemed to line up. People attempted to explain these gaps in history by bringing in unrelated events. Yet, some patient analysis would have revealed that all of these explanations contained contradictory and fatal flaws. After Master Attendant passed away, I found the key to the Mystery. “The Black History Book” Amidst the rubble, I watched my fading body, enjoying the sensation of approaching death, while reminiscing on my long life. I had arrived on this world innocent and ignorant and would leave it burdened by the weight of the truths I was carrying. I had walked alone through countless seasons, and knew better than to pass judgment on whether they were right or wrong. Right now, all I wanted to do was to close my eyes and sleep. “So, this is what a Food Soul looks like when they’re about to disappear.” The Food Soul, who ought to have been weakened to the point of immobility, was suddenly beside me. I could only stare at him in silence, as I no longer had the strength to bring myself to say anything. “I seem to recall you made me a promise that you would record everything, did you not?” His voice was as warm as the morning sun, but I could not help feeling like he was teasing me. Surely, he must have realized, from my rapidly fading body, that I could no longer maintain my existence in this world. What was the point in bringing up that promise? His next words nearly made me choke, were it still possible. “So, there’s no way I can let you just disappear here. Since you agreed to my request, you must see it through.” Before my stunned gaze, he pulled a strange shining rock from his breast, stared fixedly into my eyes, and spoke slowly and clearly. “From today onward, you will stay at my side and work for me.” “This isn’t a request. This is an order.” V. Yuxiang In Imperial Calendar Year 250, the man who served as historian to the wealthiest country in the Light Kingdom disappeared under the cover of night and hid himself in a certain bamboo forest shrouded in thick fog. He hid his life’s work in a dark and dirty underground room, which he was certain the people of his country would never find. The days that followed were peaceful and lonely, until Yuxiang was summoned to his side. He forbade her from reading any books that dealt with history. However, Yuxiang was curious by nature and was driven by a thirst for knowledge. Just like her Master Attendant, she had soon familiarized herself with the history of the world. However, she also discovered the scars left by those who had tried to gouge out history. In Imperial Calendar Year 270, the elderly historian passed away. Yuxiang was freed from her Contract and was finally able to attempt to search for an answer to the gaps in history. However, she was a naturally frail and weak Food Soul. Having lost the power of the Contract, her spiritual energy waned with every passing day. In Imperial Calendar Year 300, Yuxiang manged to piece together sparse clues, and finally located the country where her Master Attendant had been employed as a historian. Perhaps fate or luck was at work, but she was able to easily locate the underground room within which the historian had sealed his life’s work. And so, the truths within the “Black History Book” were exposed to her eyes. Knowing that she would not be alive for much longer, Yuxiang made the same decision the historian had made 50 years earlier. She decided that the truth would be buried with her. Yet, as she died, a Food Soul appeared before her, and altered the course of fate. From that day onward, she would serve as that Food Soul’s historian, accompanying him by his side. “He extended my life without my permission”, was how Yuxiang always chose to explain why she always followed him. “As such, I have to stay by his side in order to figure out what he wants to do next.” Well, it’s safe to say that’s probably not the real reason. Category:Food Soul Story